Optimising the prime tower when 2nd color only on lowest layers?

I’ve recently started trying some 2-color prints on the P1S and the model I’m currently working on only uses the second color to print some text on the flat face, which is arranged to be the face that rests on the build plate - once the initial 2 or 3 layers is printed, what remains is all in a single color.

You might expect the prime tower to be created and used for filament switches when printing those first few layers with the mixed colors, then no longer built for all the subsequent layers that are all in one color. But no, the slicer creates the entire tower anyway, with both colors. I did force the prime tower off for this print but that’s not ideal either - I’d rather that the software optimised it and only used it for the initial bi-colored layers. Is there any chance that this could be added to the slicing software as an optimisation? The unnecessary filament switching not only wastes filament, it slows down the print considerably.

The use-case of only printing in a second color on the first few layers must be pretty common I would have thought.

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Is it showing as all layers in preview, or just in prepare - because if so preview is what will actually be printed.

If it so showing in preview too - do you have smooth timelapses switched on.

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With my A1, usually only layers that have multiple colours have prime tower layers. If it is a single colour after several layers, usually the prime tower stops. However, if there is another colour change, however small, higher up, prime tower goes all the way up … I e. until the last colour change. I would have expected the P1 series to be the same?

Aha! You’re on to something there! The tower showed up in ‘prepare’ but was reduced to a few layers only when sliced! So it looks like they’re already doing that optimisation! Great! :slight_smile: (and no, I don’t have smooth timelapses turned on) Thanks!